It was a fantastic comeback by the mighty Swallows, this Saturday, as we entertained Drimpton at home.
Shooting downhill in the first half, some of our passing was errant, with first touches not working as well as we wanted. The passing game was there, somewhere, but a few very good moves didn’t lead to chances. As is usual in an Ups match, we went behind through some miscommunication, leading to a dubious penalty decision. Tim Daniel did a decent job as ref (a little “away friendly” in places?) but I felt he missed the push on the ‘keeper. To be fair to him, though, he could’ve sent The Fox off for the handball, which would have been catastrophic for us, as he had a brilliant game in an unlikely sweeper role.
The second half got underway in the worst way; a long punt and good control from their excellent striker, and we were 2 down. But, from there, we never looked back. Our excellent subs did a great job when they came on, as our injuries mounted, and it was from these boys that 2 goals came. Beddows with a trademark tight turn and smart finish, and John’s debut league goal (?) leading to a rampant celebration, full of growling that had me a little scared…
The winning goal came from our youngster Adam Neale, a fine prospect for our team, who never stopped running. He listened well to advice from the general in midfield (me!) and tracked back brilliantly. But it wasn’t the defensive display he’ll remember, it’ll be the swiping 25 yarder that nestled over the keeper’s outstretched fingers, and register as his first league goal for the mighty Ups. Take a bow, son; take a bow.
There were great performances everywhere in the second half, and the man of the match isn’t mine to give. I was proud to be your captain on the day…. Let’s play more football against Ottery and get an AWAY DAY!